Apparatus for constructing arches.



A. E. SGHUFFBNHAUBR. APPARATUS PoR-CONSTRUCTING ARCHES.

APPMGATIGN FILED MAR.28,1913.

1,076,240, Patented 'Ct. 2., 1913.

Wz'esses.' Inv/6211102.-

Q'Cll f K ARTHUR E. SCHUFEENIIAUER, or sonrii cnroncfo, ILLINOIS.

.APPARATUS` 'FOR CONSTRUCTING ARCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I y Application led March 28, 1913. Serial No. 757,349.

To all whom if may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. SCHUF FENHAUER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of South Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Constructing Arches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in arch construction. l

Atthe present time great difficulty is experienced in repairing a damaged arched roof, as for instance t e arched roof of an open hearth'furnace, since, at the present time, the only method which is used in build ing and repairing roofs of this character,

requires the use of a supporting element or center at the under side of the roof in order tosupport the bricks or units of the arch until the key brick or unit is inserted coinpleting the arch, the arch, after the key brick or unit has been inserted, being as is known, capable of supporting itself. In the case of a furnace of the character mentioned, where the roof becomes damaged during the operation of the former, the repair of the' roof by means of the method now used,l as above mentioned, isedected with great diiiiculty and danger, the heat within the furnace almost precluding the possibility of arranging a supporting element at the under side of the arch for the support of the units or bricks of the arch such as is necessary` until the arch is completed.

It is therefore the object of my invention to provide an apparatus whereby an arch may be readily and easily constructed or whereby a damaged or any arch may be readily and easily repaired, without necessi- -tating the use of means arranged at the under side of the arch for supporting the bricks or units of the-arch during the forma-` tion of the latter.

A further object is the production of apparatus which will be of durable and economical construction and eiiicient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understoodby reference to the accompanying drawing forminga part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of an open hearth furnace the roof of which is in the course of repair through the use of apratented oet. ai', isis.

parat-us' embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the bricks or units used in the construction of an arch where my apparat-us and process is ,employed, Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the unit or brick, and Fig. 4l isa perspective view of one of the arch unit suspending members, included in my invention.

The preferred. form of construction as illustrated in the drawing includes the use of a substantially inverted U-shape support' ing membrl the upper side of which is of a curvature corresponding with that of the arch or roof 2 which it is desired to repair or build. Thelower extremities 'of the depending portions ofthe member 1 are pio vided with suitable bases 3 which serve'to hold sai-d supporting member in uprightposition during employment.`

In the repair of an arch of a roof as shoivn in Fig. l, the supporting member l ,is ar-V ranged over the opening 4' in the roof which it is desired to repair, the ends of the inember 1 being rested upon the roof as shown. The bricks or units 5 which are used to repair the opening or damaged arch are suspended by hook members 6 from the supporting member l. The suspending members 6 are provided with hooks? at their upper ends for engagement over the sup-. porting member l, the lower ends of said suspension members being provided with hooks 8 for engagement of slots or sockets i) provided for the reception thereof in the upper' ends of the units 5 as clearlyT shown. After the completion of the arch, the same being then capable of supporting itself, the

suspension members G may be. disengaged from the units 5 and said suspension meinbers together with the supporting member 1 removed. In order to permit of ready disengagement of the hooks 8 from the units 5, as mentioned, the upper ends of said units aieso slotted that the hooks 8 may be moved rearwardly to disengagement from the slot- 9 notwithstanding that the contiguous face of the adjacent unit closes the outer lateral extremity of said slot.

In order tolpermit of thesuspension meinbers 6 being arranged in position suspended from the member l, when the furnace is in use, said suspension members are provided with eyes .or loops 10 which may be engaged by long hooked rods or other positioning tools which may be employed bythe men in order'to permit of the latter standing at a distance from the opening from which hot gases are emitted. A swivel ll is interposed in each of the suspension members in order to permit of ready adjustment of the bricks in proper relative position when the same are arranged side by side as clearly shown in Fig. l.

lt is understood that where the opening in the roof, which is to be repaired, extends over more than one transverse line or arch oE bricks, the member l, after being used in the formation oi one arch will be moved along to the next, and so on until the entire opening is repaired. V'Vhere it is desired to use the device-in completely building an arch, it is understood that the member 1 will be simply increased in length to correspond with,

the length of the arch which it is desired to build. Or, in the building or' an arched roof, if desired, a plurality of supportinmembers may be used extending'longitudinally of the roof, each of said members l then being used to support the corresponding bi ick or" a number of arches which will be simultaneouslyformed, it beingnecessary in this case to employ as many supporting hook members 6 as there are bricks or units in each arch.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction and process for carrying my invention into eil'eet, these are capable of Variation and modification Without departingV from the spirit of the invention. l, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth or to the precise steps employed in the process, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described my invention What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters `Patent is:

ln combination with a furnace, of a supporting bar parallel with the top wall of said furnace, foot members loosely resting on said furnace and spacing said bar thereabove; and brick supporting members depending rom said supporting bar, each formed of two rods, one bent forming an eye at its lower end and a hook at its upper end and the other having its upper end passed through said eye and a head thereon above such eye, a hook bent on its lower end and its central portion bentI forming a loop, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR E. SCHUFFENHAUER.

Witnesses: v

JOSHUA It. H. Po'r'rs, HELEN F. LILLIS. 

